Environmental lawyers say exempting projects from assessment & ramming through permits is a recipe for delay, conflict and uncertainty
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/VANCOUVER
Lawyers at the West Coast Environmental Law Association are reacting to mandate letters sent to Cabinet ministers today by Premier Eby. Jessica Clogg, Executive Director & Senior Counsel, made the following statement:
“Today’s mandate letters are a slap in the face for British Columbians facing wildfires, floods and other tangible impacts of unsustainable resource development and climate change in their communities. There can be no community well-being or thriving economy without the basic life support services healthy ecosystems provide. Today’s letters ignore this reality, treating ecological and community resilience as an afterthought to ramping up resource development.”
“Proposed measures such as exempting whole classes of projects from environmental assessment or arbitrarily limiting timeframes for permitting are nothing but a recipe for conflict and uncertainty. We have seen this time and time again when Indigenous rights or community concerns are railroaded over.”
“Premier Eby needs a reality check about critical minerals. Most mining in BC is not focused on minerals needed for climate transition at all, and studies have shown that economic factors like commodity prices — not red tape, are a more common cause of delays. Yet, in the mandate letters we see important environmental and planning measures being held hostage to the agenda of the mining industry.”
“Missing from the letters, which provide direction to Cabinet ministers on priorities for the current government mandate, were important pieces of unfinished business delayed in the lead-up to the recent election. This includes legislation to prioritize biodiversity and ecosystem health, actioning the recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review, implementing the Coastal Marine Strategy and enshrining it in law, repealing and replacing BC’s Mineral Tenure Act with a co-developed, UNDRIP-aligned law, advancing the BC Flood Strategy and supporting implementation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas. We urge the Premier to clarify and confirm BC’s commitment to these important goals.”
“The mandate letters contain a welcome though very general reference to BC’s ‘commitment to take action on climate change’, some important measures related to habitat restoration, land use planning and hazard risk assessment, and acknowledgement of the many significant geopolitical factors affecting BC. However, overall, the economic and resource development emphasis throughout feels like a throwback to the BC of yesteryear rather than an effective strategy for 2025.”
For more information, please contact:
Jessica Clogg | Executive Director & Senior Counsel
604-601-2501, jclogg@wcel.org
January 16, 2025
VANCOUVER/UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES — Sarah Korpan, Government relations and campaign manager made the following statement in reaction to the B.C. government’s newly released mandate letters to Cabinet ministers:
“We are extremely disappointed by the mandate letters from Premier David Eby to his new cabinet. They fail to carry forward even the bare minimum of previous commitments related to the prioritization of biodiversity and ecosystems.
“What these mandate letters signal is that the environment is nothing more than an afterthought for his government — old growth forests are not a visible focal point in the Minister of Forest’s mandate letter, and the Minister of Water Land and Resource Stewardship’s letter appears to be more focused on creating efficient permitting processes for industry than prioritizing biodiversity stewardship. Eby is attempting to focus on ‘kitchen table issues’ like affordability, but ironically and tragically, people in B.C. will be left paying the price for his decision to deprioritize the environment.
“The economy and cost of living are understandably top of mind for many British Columbians, as folks struggle to make ends meet, but ignoring the health of the environment will only make life harder and more expensive in the long run. Wildfires, droughts and floods driven by the climate and biodiversity crises come with detrimental community and economic impacts. Unfortunately, these letters fail to recognize that and instead appear to give industry a bigger ramp to continue prioritizing profits over the health and well-being of communities and the environment.
“We urge Premier David Eby to publicly reiterate and act on his previous commitments to legislation prioritizing the health of biodiversity and ecosystems and the protection of at-risk old growth forests.”
Cari Siebrits, communications strategist | Ecojustice
(416) 368-7533 Ext. 504, csiebrits@ecojustice.ca
